Verify that the modem line is connected directly to a wall outlet. Eliminate any devices like a Telephone, answering machine, surge protector, or line splitter. Test with another phone cable and a different wall outlet, if available.

Verify the presence of a strong dial tone on the same telephone line that modem is attempting to dial out on by connecting a telephone handset.Note: A no dial tone error message may be due to the software not handling a certain dial tone rather than a specific hardware fault. Around the world there is a variance in the signal quality of the dial tone which causes a report of no dial tone detection. Disable the dial tone detection to correct no dial tone detected by modem error.

Verify that no other software that accesses COM ports is running when the operating system loads (for example: fax software, synchronizing software for handheld devices, communication software, or external pointing devices that require a COM port).

Which modem should I use to connect to the Internet?You should always use your fastest modem to connect to the Internet. For example, if you have a broadband modem (Digital Subscriber Line [DSL] or cable) and a dial-up modem, use the broadband modem because it's much faster.